Kenmore Elite CSV Max DS4095 Review

For an inexpensive stick vacuum, the Kenmore Elite CSV Max DS4095 includes a handy design element: The Kenmore EasyReach wand design bends in the middle, which lets us push the cleaner head under furniture without requiring us to bend over as much otherwise. It's a lower-priced alternative to the similar Shark Stratos Cordless Multi-FLEX hinge our testers loved so much.

Performance Comparison

Carpet Performance

The overall carpet performance of the Kenmore was below average, but that's not the full story. Our testing revealed its strengths and weaknesses that may or may not be deal-breakers.

Overall, it rated poorly on carpet compared to other vacuums we tested. Granted, our 24-second timed tests are difficult, using 1.5 cups of sand, rice, and Cheerios spread over 27 square feet of carpet. The results of these tests give us an idea of how efficient this vacuum will be in real-world conditions.

Low Pile

Interestingly, by sucking up 77% of our test debris, this Kenmore did reasonably well on low pile carpet, coming close to our average recorded pick up of 82.7% among all stick vacuums we tested.

“This vacuum did a shockingly good job on low pile carpet,” notes Rachael, our lead tester. "On forward passes, it created a very good seal that I could feel kind of snap onto the carpet!"

When we look at its performance a little more closely, it sucked up debris on forward passes significantly better than on backward passes. Even though it created a suction seal that we could feel on low pile carpet, when we weighed the total debris it collected, we could see it wasn't able to suck up much of the sand that slipped down into the carpet weaves.

High Pile

When we drill down into the high pile performance data, we see that the Elite CSV Max struggled to collect just 20% of our sand, rice, and Cheerios cocktail.

It seemed to pick up the easy debris on top but rolled over anything even remotely buried in the high carpet weave. With this data and in-person experience, we can't recommend this product for households that have a lot of shag carpet; however, if they primarily have low pile carpet (or even hardwood), this vacuum worked better than we were expecting, and it could be a great affordable option for relatively simple tasks.

Hardwood Performance

Our hardwood floor test is just as difficult as our carpet tests and is similarly structured. We spread 1.5 cups each of Cheerios, rice, and sand over a 27-squared foot test area. We give each vacuum just 24 seconds to suck up as much material as possible. On this test on hard floors, the Kenmore Elite outperformed all other vacuums at the budget price tier.

Its performance here aligns well with its low pile carpet performance. It seemed to suck up rice better than Cheerios, which back plowed, reducing its ability to suck them up at a quick rate.

Cleaning Performance

“The volume of material seemed a bit much for this product to handle all at once,” noted one tester. “It had a tendency to drag material along with it, only sucking up bits and pieces at a time.” Clearly, this vacuum needs more passes and time to clean big messes than other more expensive vacuums we tested.

Still, with budget-minded patience, it cleans hardwood floors, albeit with additional passes, where we suggest focusing primarily on forward passes to be the most effective. Larger cereal will require multiple attempts and maybe some cleaner head rocking to help bigger items get underneath.

Crevice

This vacuum struggled in our bamboo mat crevice test, where we dropped sand between the slats and then tried to suck up as much as possible in 4 passes. This test simulates crevices and grout depressions in tile floors and transition areas requiring more effort from these situations.

It was able to contain just 36% of the sand, which is less than half of our 71% average for this test. For deep crevices in a home, we needed to use a hand attachment to clean them out.

Edges

In our edge test with coffee grounds, this product gave two very different results. When we attacked the coffee grounds head-on, it sucked up all the grounds, but when we tried this test with a pass parallel to the wall, it left about a 1/4" line of grounds along the wall. Houses that have long hallways with hardwood floors will need to spend a bit more time with this vacuum to get the baseboards and corners clean.

Overall, this product is surprisingly good on hard floors for its competitive budget price. For houses with heavier messes than average, we suggest pushing the budget a bit for even better hardwood cleaning prowess; the Levoit VortexIQ 40 is worth consideration.

Pet Hair

Our tough pet hair test has a 12-second limit. To push these vacuums, we spread 4 grams of pet hair and 1 gram of long hair extensions over the carpet and then mash it all into the carpet to replicate how pet hair gets walked on and laid on in typical homes.

This model sucked up an average amount of pet hair on low pile carpet but again struggled with high pile carpet challenges. “After testing with both debris and pet hair on high pile carpet, I would not recommend this vacuum for any shaggy carpet needs,” Rachael noted.

Filtration & Suction

We measure both filtration and suction capabilities to help reveal each vacuum's strengths and weaknesses. Because excellent filtration can sometimes reduce suction strength, we consider both in case a seemingly great filtration score is overshadowed by ineffective suction — or vice-versa.

Filtration

To test filtration, we geek out with glee by creating a clean room in our lab by running room air filters overnight before starting our tests. We monitor tiny dust particles in the air with two Dylos air quality monitors to establish a room baseline. Then, we carefully spread 1/3 cup of flour on the floor. We vacuum up the flour, looking for particulate spikes on our monitors, which indicates that a vacuum is either leaking flour particles or failing to contain it completely after sucking it up.

This vacuum contained larger flour particles well but allowed 976 small 0.5-2.5µm particles to escape. Dylos ranks anything less than 75 small particles as an excellent result and 300-1050, to be fair. This test result isn't exactly bad, but it's starting to stray into an area that might be problematic with those sensitive to indoor allergens or pet dander.

Suction

Likely, the weakest point of the Kenmore Elite is its suction power, which aligns with the performance it showcased on hardwood and carpet, where it struggled to collect the small, heavy sand.

We measured the suction at a very low 149 pascals.

Ease of Use

To assess the ease of use of every product, we broke down our testing into valuable aspects that should be considered before purchasing.

Maneuverability

While it can be bent to access under the couch or chairs, the fold point is a little too close to the head of the vacuum, limiting the overall reach of this useful feature. The best part about handling this model is its very low measured handheld weight of just 2 pounds, making it a good choice for those who need easy pushing and pulling as a primary factor in vacuuming.

Maintenance

We couldn't find any official instructions for complete care, but cleaning the filters on this model proved easy enough, thankfully. Releasing the dustbin is also quite straightforward; a button is on the bottom of the roller, which releases the roller itself. We prefer a dedicated button for this purpose and were glad to see it on this model.

Uphostery & Attachments

This Kenmore cordless vacuum only includes an EasyReach Wand accessory, which limits our ability to use it on upholstery.

For discerning shoppers, cordless vacs that cost a bit more usually include smaller powered handheld accessories, making vacuuming furniture more effective.

Battery

This vacuum has mediocre battery life, lasting 34 minutes on low and 14 minutes on high.

Because this vacuum is relatively underpowered, some people will likely need to run it on high more often, making it harder to clean multiple rooms in a home without recharging. With this in mind, this vacuum will be better for single-room cleaning efforts rather than whole-house vacuuming chores.

Should You Buy the Kenmore Elite CSV Max DS4095?

This vacuum stands out from its peers for consistently good low-profile carpet and hardwood cleaning. If you're on a tight budget, this is the vacuum we suggest that will help get things done, although it might take an extra couple of passes compared to premium products. The only limitation we are worried about is its struggle with higher pile carpets and rugs, due to its low suction. If you want a deep cleaner for that, you'll need to invest in a premium product.

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